What Diab International does

Diab International AB, founded in 1950 and headquartered in Helsingborg, Sweden, is a global manufacturer of structural core materials for sandwich composite panels serving marine, aerospace, subsea, wind energy, automotive, transportation, and building and construction markets. The company's core product platform is the Divinycell family of foam cores spanning four polymer chemistries — PVC (grades H, HP, HM, HT, HCP), PET (PL, PR, PA), PES (F), and PEI (U) — engineered to deliver strength-to-weight performance for sandwich laminates where lightweight skins are bonded to a core. Complementary offerings include CNC-machined Advanced Kits and Standard Kits, finishing services (Flow, Form, Flow and Form), engineering services, and the Composite Consulting Group, with digital tools (Core Selection Guide, Sandwich Calculation Tool, MyDiab portal) supporting specification.

The company operates seven manufacturing sites (Sweden, Italy, China, United States) and fourteen wholly-owned sales companies, supplemented by an authorized distributor network spanning more than 30 countries. Diab International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ratos, the Stockholm-listed Swedish investment company, which acquired Diab in 2009. Revenue mechanics are quote-based industrial sales of physical core materials (one-time material purchase) plus professional services revenue from kitting, finishing, engineering consulting, and training — exemplified by the Composites Infusion Training workshop priced at €1,400 excluding VAT per attendee.

The company has positioned itself as a sustainability leader in the composites industry, holding ISCC PLUS certification for mass-balanced fossil-free PVC, EcoVadis Gold Medal status (top 5% globally, 2025), and the distinction of being the first in its industry to receive Science Based Targets initiative approval (2018). Notable customers include Alstom (rail), Brødrene AA (marine, 50+ year relationship), Candela/Nova (electric hydrofoil ferries), Starboard (water sports), Minesto (ocean energy), and Clean Motion (EVs). The acquisition of Norway-based Subsea Composite Solutions in December 2024 extended the portfolio into buoyancy and subsea sandwich core solutions.

Name

Diab International

Legal name

Diab International AB

Website

http://www.diabgroup.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsingborg

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Structural Core Materials Sales: Sale of Divinycell foam core materials (PVC, PET, PES, PEI) as primary revenue stream. Products are sold directly through sales companies and through distributor network globally.
2. Finishing Services: Machining of structural core materials including Flow (grooved/perforated sheets), Form (curved sheets), and Flow & Form options. Custom processing to customer specifications.
3. Kitting Services: Pre-cut, numbered core element kits (Standard and Advanced) for precise mould fit. Advanced kits use CNC technology for complex 3D shapes.
4. Engineering Services & Training: Composite Consulting Group (CCG) provides technical consulting, design validation, testing, tooling, process optimization, and composite infusion training workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Diab International manufactures and sells structural foam core materials under the Divinycell brand (PVC, PET, PES, and PEI formulations) used as the lightweight core in sandwich composite panels. The company complements its materials with precision finishing (Flow, Form, Flow & Form), pre-cut kitting (Standard and Advanced CNC-machined kits), and technical services through Diab Engineering Services and the Composite Consulting Group (CCG) to support customers in marine, aerospace, subsea, wind energy, transportation, automotive, and building & construction applications.

Product overview

Diab International is a global manufacturer of structural core materials and sandwich technology solutions. The company offers the broadest range of foam core materials including Divinycell PVC, PET, PES, and PEI product families, each with multiple variants (H, HP, HM, HT, HCP, PL, PR, PA, F, U) tailored for specific applications. Beyond materials, Diab provides complementary services including precision kitting (Standard and Advanced Kits using CNC machining), finishing services (Flow, Form, Flow & Form), and comprehensive engineering support through Diab Engineering Services and the Composite Consulting Group. The portfolio is supported by digital tools including the Core Selection Guide, Sandwich Calculation Tool, and the MyDiab customer portal. Markets served include marine, aerospace, subsea, wind energy, automotive, transportation, and building & construction. The company operates seven manufacturing sites and fourteen sales companies globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Divinycell: High-performance structural core material brand including PVC, PET, PES, and PEI foam variants.
• MyDiab
• Composite Consulting Group (CCG)

Products and services

• Divinycell PVC Foam Core Materials High-performance PVC foam core materials with excellent strength-to-weight properties, available in grades H, HP, HM, HT, and HCP for structural sandwich panel applications across marine, aerospace, wind energy, and transportation markets. Sold to industrial manufacturers and composite fabricators.
• Divinycell PET Foam Core Materials Thermoplastic recyclable PET foam core materials (variants PL, PR, PA) suitable for sustainable sandwich composite applications, with PR variant based on post-consumer and post-industry recycled PET. Sold to industrial manufacturers.
• Divinycell PES Foam Core Materials Recyclable PES foam core material (variant F) designed for commercial aircraft interiors, providing structural performance with sustainability credentials. Sold to aerospace interior manufacturers.
• Divinycell PEI Foam Core Materials Recyclable PEI foam core (variant U) suitable for radomes, antennas, and structural components where high performance is required. Sold to aerospace and defense manufacturers.
• Finishing Services Machining services for structural core materials including Flow (grooved/perforated sheets), Form (curved sheets), and Flow & Form options, custom processed to customer specifications to optimize performance and quality.
• Standard Kits Pre-cut, numbered core element kits providing consistent quality, reduced on-site cutting, labor savings, and reduced material waste for simplified sandwich composite manufacturing.
• Advanced Kits Precision-machined CNC-cut core elements optimized for complex 3D shapes and curves, reducing resin uptake up to 75% compared to traditional kits with zero spring-back and improved surface finish. Designed for marine and other composite manufacturers.
• Diab Engineering Services Technical partnership services including sandwich design expertise, finishing and kitting guidance, testing and validation, and global technical support from engineers for composite manufacturers.
• Composite Consulting Group (CCG) Specialized composite technology consulting services covering design, engineering, testing, tooling, process optimization, and training workshops (including Composites Infusion Training at 1400 Euro per course) for composite implementation projects.
• Deep Sea Solutions Specialized buoyancy foam and sandwich core solutions for subsea and offshore applications including ROVs, AUVs, submarines, and wave & tidal energy systems. Sold to subsea and offshore engineering firms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35% reduction in PVC foam GWP through renewable electricity and bio-based heating
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Corex Composites: Manufactures PVC and PET foam cores alongside honeycomb and balsa products for marine and industrial composites — overlapping product range and customer base with Diab.
• 3A Composites (Airex / Baltek): Supplies Airex PET and Baltek balsa/PVC foam cores into marine, wind, and transportation sandwich panel applications — the most direct substitute to Divinycell PVC/PET grades.
• Armacell (ArmaFORM): Produces ArmaFORM PET foam cores for wind, marine, and transportation sandwich composites, making it a chemistry-and-application direct peer to Diab's Divinycell PET family.
• Evonik (ROHACELL): Manufactures ROHACELL PMI rigid foam cores for aerospace, radome, and high-performance sandwich structures — competes with Diab's PES and PEI lines in aviation and high-spec industrial applications.
• Gurit: Swiss-listed composites specialist with a structural core materials business (PVC, PET) that overlaps directly with Diab's Divinycell line, serving the same marine, wind, and transportation end markets.

Broad incumbents

• SABIC: Produces specialty polymer resins (including PEI and PPSU feedstocks used in foam) and broader engineering plastics relevant to structural sandwich cores — supplies adjacent value chain to Diab.
• Toray Advanced Composites: Supplies prepreg and core material systems to aerospace, motorsport, and industrial markets — competes with Diab indirectly when OEMs source integrated sandwich panel stacks.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials: Diversified composites and engineered materials supplier with structural foam offerings for transportation and industrial sandwich structures — broad incumbent competing across multiple Diab end markets.
• Hexcel: Large diversified composites supplier (carbon fiber, prepregs, honeycomb cores) into aerospace, wind, and automotive — competes with Diab at the sandwich-panel layer in aerospace and adjacent markets.

Emerging players

• Carbon-Core Corp: Niche supplier of composite core and panel systems for transportation and infrastructure; competes for the same sandwich-structure RFPs Diab targets in rail and bus applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DIABcorematerials

Compliance15 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Diab International